Aston Villa vs Derby LIVE: Championship play off final build-up, team news confirmed

ASTON VILLA 0-0 DERBY

Aston Villa XI: Steer, Taylor, Tuanzebe, Elmohamady, Mings, McGinn, Grealish, Hourihane, Abraham, Adomah, El Ghazi

Derby XI: Roos, Bogle, Keogh, Tomori, Cole, Mount, Johnson, Wilson, Huddlestone, Lawrence, Bennett

• Albert Adomah comes in for Andre Green for Aston Villa

• Suspended Scott Malone replaced by 38-year-old Ashley Cole

• Tom Huddlestone come in for Duane Holmes

ASTON VILLA 0-0 DERBY

1: Prepare yourselves for complete and utter drama. Despair and ecstasy. Joy and Misery. You know the drill. We’re underway at Wembley folks.

Quick reminder

14:58: The line-ups for you. And my prediction, which is obviously worth nothing, is that Derby will be heading to the Premier League.

Aston Villa XI: Steer, Taylor, Tuanzebe, Elmohamady, Mings, McGinn, Grealish, Hourihane, Abraham, Adomah, El Ghazi

Derby XI: Roos, Bogle, Keogh, Tomori, Cole, Mount, Johnson, Wilson, Huddlestone, Lawrence, Bennett

National anthem

14:55: Just having a lovely rendition of the national anthem sung proudly by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.

Just realised I made it sound like he sang it on the field. No, It was sung officially by a lady wearing an extremely jazzy dress. Prince William, an Aston Villa fan, sang it in the executive seats.

Twitter round-up

Grant: Not using VAR especially as it is available for THIS game of all games is unbelievable and unforgivable.

Simon: I have never felt so nervous about a game of football, sadly didn’t make it to the game but watching with my boy at home! Believe, play your game and Villa will be in the Prem!

Jay: Imagine Jack getting us promoted and lifting that trophy as fan and captain. Please, please, PLEASE make that reality!

Yeah I’m scratching my head about the lack of VAR. Not like this match is worth £170million or anything…

Can Villa afford another play-off defeat?

14:45: The talk of a significant jackpot is especially noteworthy for Villa after last year’s play-off defeat against Fulham meant their financial struggles were laid bare under former owner Tony Xia.

American financier Wes Edens and Egyptian businessman Nassef Sawiris bought the club in July and have managed to steady the ship, but Villa’s parachute payments end this season following their Premier League relegation in 2016.

Boss Dean Smith is relaxed about the situation, insistent that Edens and Sawiris are “fully behind the club”.

Can Jack Grealish make the difference?

14:40: The Villa captain has been their inspiration in their late run to the play-offs, scoring four times in a club-record run of 10 straight wins.

Grealish scored a stunning volley when Villa beat Derby 4-0 at the start of March, his first game for three months after returning from a shin injury, which kick-started their winning run.

It is little wonder, then, that Tottenham have been heavily linked with making a move for the midfielder this summer. But, win or lose on Monday, Smith warned any potential pursuers they will have to dig deep to sign the former England Under-21 international.

Sweet Caroline…

14:35: The atmosphere at Wembley is absolutely bouncing. We’ve just had a rendition of Sweet Caroline – which is obviously mandatory before any British sporting event these days.

I blame Eddie Hearn for that. Now Villa’s version of ‘Allez, Allez, Allez,’ rings around the stadium.

‘Play with freedom’

14:30: Derby manager Frank Lampard: “However much the game is worth is not something that we can be in control of.

“I really want them to enjoy it. I played in finals and big games that I didn’t enjoy and moments passed me by and I don’t want that to happen to them.

“I want them to play with freedom. We can win this game or we could lose this game but as long as the players give everything I’ll be proud and the fans will be.”

Enjoy it and play with freedom? Easier said than done, Frank. Easier said than done.

Twitter round-up

Paul: Errrr… in Lampard we trust, cos that wouldn’t have been the team most of us would have picked! Waghorn or Marriott up front surely? But we can do it! Come on you Rams!

Matty: Would love to see big Frank managing in the prem, love the bloke.

Steve: Marriott on the bench is an odd one and could be a huge mistake unless he comes on at half time and does the same as the semi final. These big games are made for his style of play.

Totally agree with the Jack Marriott confusion. He was tremendous against Leeds in the second leg and surely deserved a start.

Frank Lampard’s future

14:20: The former England midfielder has led the Rams to the cusp of a top-flight return, in the process gaining sweet revenge on Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds following the Spygate furore earlier in the season.

The footage of Lampard celebrating with his players in the visiting dressing room at Elland Road will endure for a while. ’Stop crying Frank Lampard,’ is still ringing in my ears…

However, there have been rumours linking the Derby manager with a return to Chelsea. The Blues’ record goal-scorer did little to quell reports, insisting he will speak to Derby owner Mel Morris next week once their fate is known.

Made in Chelsea

14:15: Well there’s an obscene amount of Chelsea involved in today’s match. Obscene I tell ya!

Let’s see if I can get this right.

Ashley Cole starts for Derby managed by Frank Lampard. Jody Morris is his assistant. In the opposing dugout John Terry is Aston Villa’s assistant manager. Young Chelsea loanees Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham all start as well.

Did I miss anyone?

£170m, £170m, £170m…

14:10: Did you hear this match is worth an estimated £170million?! I’ve been watching the build-up on Sky Sports and they’ve only mentioned it 15 times.

That figure comes from Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, which says the additional revenue will come over the next three seasons even if the winner suffers relegation in their first season in the Premier League.

And if they manage to survive in the top flight, the number will rise to around £300million over the next five years.

A club promoted to the Premier League will benefit from around £95million in extra revenues, primarily from broadcast and commercial sources, next season.

Should they be relegated, they would be due parachute payments worth around £75million over the next two seasons.

Those numbers would only go up if they can join the 63 per cent of promoted clubs who have survived their first season in the top flight over the last 10 years.

Team News

14:05: Two quite settled sides here at Wembley today – not exactly the occasion to try something different.

Aston Villa make one change from the second leg of the semi-final at West Brom. Albert Adomah comes in for Andre Green.

As for Derby, they’ve made two changes with the suspended Scott Malone replaced by Ashley Cole. Tom Huddlestone come in for Duane Holmes.

The omen…

14:03: The team finishing sixth in the Championship have been promoted via the play-offs in just one of the last 13 seasons, with Blackpool beating Cardiff in the 2010 final.

The starting XI…

14:00: And here are the line-ups, folks. Ashley Cole does indeed start – he’s up against Albert Adomah…

Aston Villa XI: Steer, Taylor, Tuanzebe, Elmohamady, Mings, McGinn, Grealish, Hourihane, Abraham, Adomah, El Ghazi.

Subs: Kalinic, Whelan, Jedinak, Lansbury, Kodjia, Hause, Green.

Derby XI: Roos, Bogle, Keogh, Tomori, Cole, Mount, Johnson, Wilson, Huddlestone, Lawrence, Bennett.

Subs: Carson, Waghorn, Jozefoon, Marriot, Evans, McDonald, Knight.

Ashley Cole’s final match as a professional?

13:55: With two of his former Chelsea and England team-mates in opposing sides of the dugout – Lampard as Derby boss and John Terry as Villa assistant – Cole could be forgiven for wondering why he is still playing.

The 38-year-old, only a couple of weeks younger than Terry, is undoubtedly in the twilight of a glittering professional career but even though he has been used sparingly since signing for Derby on a short-term deal in January, it seems the fire burns brightly.

He has dropped no hints as to whether this match will be his swansong. Does he fancy another crack at the Premier League?

Twitter round-up

Richard: Even if Aston Villa were contesting the playoff final against any other club in the Championship (apart from us) I’d want them to win. They’re a proper football club and one of the few who have a divine right to be in the Prem as far as I’m concerned.

Rebecca: Sunday lunch eaten next shower then my Villa onesie time… See all you lunatics the other end!

Adelekan: There will be a special Chelsea interest in today’s fixture. Two Chelsea legends battle for a managerial return to the Premier League. Its going to be epic!!

I think we can all agree that Rebecca is definitely winning at life. Congratulations.

Money, Money, Money…

13:50: There is simply no getting away from it. While the opportunity to play in the Premier League will ensure members from both sides give their all, the fortune that follows a win can shape clubs for the next decade or more.

Deloitte’s Sports Business Group has estimated that the winners will pocket £170million, irrespective of whether they drop immediately back down to the second tier.

That figure would rise to around £300million if they can avoid relegation. The guaranteed windfall is therefore sure to be mentioned as the final nears.

Afternoon

13:45: Hello everyone and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the Championship play off final from Wembley.

How are y’all enjoying your three-day weekend? I made the horrendous error of popping to my local beer festival for a quick ONE yesterday.

It wasn’t one. It was many. And I regret every single sip.

Moving swiftly on, today’s play-off final will be worth £170million to the winner, making it the most lucrative one-off match in world football.

There’s also the small matter of playing Premier League football and enjoying the luxury of Alan Shearer and Co taking chunks out of you on MOTD.

So much to discuss, so much drama to unfold, so I’d better get this thing underway. Standby for team news…